Records

[admin_exported]

Hi,
I was hoping you could help me understand a little about record, amps and phonostages...

I am currently shopping around for a hi-fi system that will mostly be used for playing lossless music stored on a server.
I also have a very small record collection and a cheap record player (£60) with built in phonostage.

As stated my current priority is to get the best setup for my digital files. However, down the line I could see myself upgrading the record player and playing more records.

What is the difference in a "MM phono in" and "MC phono in" in terms of amplifier specification?
Is this something I need to consider now or can I upgrade in the future with a separate phono stage?
Would an Amp with a MM phono in make a big difference to the sound of my records using my current record player?

Thanks for the advice.
Conor

 

[Henley]

They're to cope with the 2 differing types of cartridge. On a very basic level a moving magnet cartridge has an output roughly 10 times that of a moving coil, so you need different levels of amplification.

Generally an outboard phono stage will normally outperform any inbuilt phono module so it is always better to make this upgrade. You can then still use your new phono stage when you eventually decide to upgrade the turntable.

 

[Andrew Everard]

They cater for different kinds of pickup cartridge. MM in is for moving magnet, MC in for the lower output of moving coil types.

Since your record player has a built-in phono stage you don't need to worry about these - you just connect it to a line input on the amp, such as Aux, Tuner or Tape.